Job woes/wins

[Beast]

I left the care home in December and as much as it pained me to leave all those old folks I had to do it because I couldn't handle the job any more. We were always understaffed, barely had any dedicated people that would stay (I was one of the longest standing people there after only being there 2 years) and it just wasn't fulfilling. It was morbidly depressing, I've always had a hard time with my mental health (but I've whined about it like a teenage girl on here so won't go into details again) and that job wasn't helping as it transitioned into accepting just 'end of life' residents so I had to leave.

 

The lack of staff, constant change of managers and no direction lead the place to be put into special measures in late October. The place was put on a level 5 which is as bad as things can get, it means no more residents are allowed to be accepted until things improve and if things weren't better by February then the place would close. One of the nurses I got on well with went into more details to me and said it could mean remaining staff aren't allowed to work in care for a year and could have to give answers to the CQC for why things are failing and possibly go to court along with the manager.

 

It appeared on BBC news and in the local newspaper last month so I can only assume things still aren't going to well. I haven't been on Facebook this year though so haven't been in touch with any of the staff to find out.

 

Anyway I tried working at a taxi firm for a bit as I thought a normal job would be good for me but my anxiety was just so out of whack I ended up leaving that too. So I've been unemployed since early Janurary (uh oh).

 

I've been having therapy in that time though which is helping and I'm finally starting to figure out why I'm as crazy as I am :p I just got a job at a shop which I'll be starting next week, I'm hoping now that I've had some time to cool down and figure things out I can handle being around people again and just get into a normal pattern. We'll see, I might be lurking in the Bad Stuff thread in 2 weeks time but I'm hoping this one works out well. I thought the interview went fucking terribly and felt so awful after it so the fact I got the job makes me feel a bit better and reminds me that I need to stop thinking so negatively :p

 

Anyway, I'll try to not over think things and see how it goes for now.

 

I'm sorry to hear that things weren't working out for you but I really hope that your new job will be the one that is awesome! You'll have to keep us updated!

 

-----

 

So it's been 5 months now and things are the same. The job is going great. I've had a couple of hiccups with the staff, which were very quickly ironed out. My manager is awesome and we both get along fantastically and think the same way. The team are really good as well.

 

At the moment, there's a competition going to sell the most add-on items and higher our sales percentages. I've been training some of the staff and giving them some tips and hints and we've boosted them majorly to the point that we are the only shop in the Midlands in the competition now.

 

Also, I was told by my manager to accept a management course that should have taken a year. It will land be 2 A-Levels and qualifications in English, Maths and IT. HOWEVER, the assessors were so impressed with my English and IT that I don't need to do it but I do need to do the Maths course (which is just as well because I'm awful at Maths). So because I don't need to do English or IT, the course will now take 9 months to complete. In short, in 9 months time, I could be a qualified manager.

[Ashley]

Reminds me when I was doing the management training at Game and they asked why I wasn't doing the NVQ in English they told me to do and I responded with "because I've studied it at A-level and it's literally below me".

[Jimbob]

Moving to a new department in 2 weeks. Going to one which has full flexibility (aka no late shifts, no weekends and can work near-enough what hours i'd like between 8am and 8pm.

[EEVILMURRAY]

2 months in and still not been given a contract - but they are "chasing it up" as if the job has never existed before and they've outsourced the making of a brand new contract to somewhere else.

 

But apparently the HR department are wanting our onlone dashboard (where we book holidays/records sick days etc) to have profile pics by the end of the week. Which is much more of a priority.

[bob]

Had my end of year review today, and got a 10% raise.

 

Then got called in 10 mins later and told by the boss that he feels like this was wrong and I should be getting a 12% raise instead.

 

Which was nice.

My boss apologised this morning that they got my pay wrong, and they've been paying me the wrong salary for the past three months. I had no idea and was perfectly happy with what I was on before, but I'm now on an extra £500 a year. I don't even know anymore.

[EEVILMURRAY]

If they get it wrong, aren't you able to claim double it back?

[Will]

I LOVE my new job. OK, so Singapore is not the most interesting of places in the world but the move from Tokyo has been well worth it. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of getting to grips with everything going on here and the many many different business units we have. There is so much opportunity and learning about the South East Asia market is totally new for me so very interesting.

 

I'm currently heading up a number of initiatives, our outsourcing services, some huge publishing projects and our advertising SDK. I'm fairly sure things are only going to get busier but that's the way I like it. Really could not have wished for a better place to work.

 

Just need to get my living situation sorted out and all will be well.

[Debug Mode]

Good to hear everything's going well Will! It was a shame I couldn't meet you in Tokyo, but if you're ever back for a holiday and come near Hokkaido, give me a shout mate.

 

As for me, job situation going good. Being a part time warrior has been rough, some weeks would leave me only £20 after putting aside rent money so I've been focussing on getting new work lined and new customers coming in and now I'm stable so even bad weeks aren't too tight.

 

Biggest news is, I've been invited to an interview next week which, if I do well and get offered the job, will change my visa and allow me to stay here longer. They were initially asking why I'm applying with my current visa as they can't hire people on it and I explained that yes, although that is the case, their listing stated they had sponsorship available and if they do choose to hire me, I already meet the criteria to receive one and can change my residency with their assistance.

So after a few days of silence and assuming it's a no go, they are keen to get me in. Fuck I hope I don't screw it up, getting it changed half a year in would save me immense worry,

[Jimbob]

Moving to a new department in 2 weeks. Going to one which has full flexibility (aka no late shifts, no weekends and can work near-enough what hours i'd like between 8am and 8pm.

 

Further onto this, dream was shattered this afternoon. Been told i'm to remain in the old department on the project i left on Wednesday. I'm actually pretty livid to be honest, was looking forward to a new start, new work and new colleagues to work.

 

Already informed my rep of this, she's not happy.

[Charlie]

Further onto this, dream was shattered this afternoon. Been told i'm to remain in the old department on the project i left on Wednesday. I'm actually pretty livid to be honest, was looking forward to a new start, new work and new colleagues to work.

 

Already informed my rep of this, she's not happy.

 

That sucks mate.

 

My lack of knowledge about unions here showing: what does your rep do now? They can't exactly force your employer to give you the job in the new team can they?

[Jimbob]

That sucks mate.

 

My lack of knowledge about unions here showing: what does your rep do now? They can't exactly force your employer to give you the job in the new team can they?

 

Union reps in my place offer advice, make sure the correct procedures are followed. And if anything is out of place (aka bullying, harassment etc) they stand up against those whom bully etc.

 

Had a meeting today to discuss the reasons as to why they are holding me back. Each answer given was the same as whatever the 1st answer was. Asked if there was any chance of going up to the new department, they said probably not.

 

So yeah, i'm currently applying for work outside of the company now. It's clearly obvious they are holding me back and preventing me from achieving more.

[Iun]

Union reps in my place offer advice, make sure the correct procedures are followed. And if anything is out of place (aka bullying, harassment etc) they stand up against those whom bully etc.

 

Had a meeting today to discuss the reasons as to why they are holding me back. Each answer given was the same as whatever the 1st answer was. Asked if there was any chance of going up to the new department, they said probably not.

 

So yeah, i'm currently applying for work outside of the company now. It's clearly obvious they are holding me back and preventing me from achieving more.

 

Don't get me started. I applied for a position at another campus, same group. But my campus refuses to let me go, even though they know I am looking to further my career with a promotion. I basically offered to resign and apply for the other job, but they implied that if I did that, I would remain unemployed.

[EEVILMURRAY]

Booked Tuesday off for a funeral (missus' grandma), on the Monday I walked out with 3.5 hours left as I'd finished all my work for the day. Felt like a dick in retrospective. Came in yesterday, worked all day then they sacked me right at the end. Sent an email of appeal in, but the lady is not happy. So gotta hit the job sites hard.

[Sheikah]

Booked Tuesday off for a funeral (missus' grandma), on the Monday I walked out with 3.5 hours left as I'd finished all my work for the day. Felt like a dick in retrospective. Came in yesterday, worked all day then they sacked me right at the end. Sent an email of appeal in, but the lady is not happy. So gotta hit the job sites hard.

 

Where were you working?

[EEVILMURRAY]

Where were you working?

I was a paralegal at a solicitors in Nottingham. Been there since December. It was an alright place to work, but the communication between offices and the staff in them was terrible.

 

Still, it paid the bills.

[Charlie]

Are they allowed to sack you with no notice?

[EEVILMURRAY]

Technically yes, as no contract had yet been signed. After 3-4 months. Which was most unprofessional on their part, as checking Acas and CAB they should've done something after 2 months, outlining the grievance/disciplinary procedure. Everytime we brought it up the answer was always "I've sent a message to X and waiting for them to get back me". They tried giving us a pathetic excuse for one about a month ago which has chunks missing and was never going to sign that but before we could refuse they told us it was the wrong contract (no shit)

 

I was also told that had a contract been signed I would've been sacked anyway as it would've been considered gross misconduct, which I didn't believe for a minute that this would be consider gross misconduct warranting instant dismissal.

 

It appeared to take "The Directors" approx 5 hours to decide to fire me, yet it seems it's taking them almost five days to consider my appeal. I've been ringing my line manager nearly every day for an update (as I told her, I'm desperate - it's not as if they recommend this firm approach with clients...) and all I get is that she's put it on their desk and is waiting a response. I'm so tempted to actually turn up to the offices and speak to them personally about if there is anything I can do for them to reconsider their decision (borderline beg). It may be slightly forward, but the worst is that I'm still fired. Hopefully they'll see my passion for the job and allow me back.

 

In the meantime I've had an interview at a bar/club, which I have to do a fuckton of online 'training' which involves several PowerPoint-esque presentations with a tiny quiz at the end, it's a step back but if it's monies I've gotta take it... Got an interview with The Nottingham tomorrow and an interview with a recruitment agency on Thursday which I wanna be hopeful for but I'm worries I'll get the same "you just don't have enough experience" roundabout thing.

Edited March 13, 2017 by EEVILMURRAY

[MoogleViper]

Technically you do have a contract with them; albeit one that isn't in writing. Which may work in your favour if you want to challenge them. Did they give you a copy of the employee handbook (or did you have access to it)?

 

Also I don't see how leaving work early (unless you were a doctor or fireman or something) would be considered gross misconduct. While you were stupid to just up and leave work, personally I'm not sure I'd want to work for a company like that.

 

P.S. I'm pretty sure if you request a copy of your contract they have 21 days to provide it to you.

Edited March 13, 2017 by MoogleViper

[EEVILMURRAY]

Technically you do have a contract with them; albeit one that isn't in writing. Which may work in your favour if you want to challenge them. Did they give you a copy of the employee handbook (or did you have access to it)?

Nope on both counts.

 

Also I don't see how leaving work early (unless you were a doctor or fireman or something) would be considered gross misconduct. While you were stupid to just up and leave work, personally I'm not sure I'd want to work for a company like that.

Exactly. But as I said, it paid the bills.

 

P.S. I'm pretty sure if you request a copy of your contract they have 21 days to provide it to you.

You would think so after several people asking.

 

I actually took pics of the "contract" they gave us to send to a chap I know who is a law teacher before I gave it back on account of it being horseshit.

 

Here's a taste

 

Check how in depth these contents are.

 

 

They expected us to sign this before they filled in the blanks.

[Eenuh]

That looks like a pretty bullshitty contract... How do companies get away with this sort of shit? :/

 

 

Speaking about bullshit... *warning, small rant coming*

I sent my boss an email on March 4th (a Saturday) finally asking for a pay rise. I of course listed all the reasons why I think I should get more salary and all that jazz.

 

On the Monday after he sent me a message saying he'd received my email and would respond later that day or the day after if it was busy. Monday passed and no comment. Tuesday passed and no comment... I decided to give it a week and reminded him again on the Monday after if he could respond. He simply ignored my question.

 

I feel like I am talking to a brick wall sometimes. It is great working from home, but I get absolutely no communications about anything. Half of the time I just have to guess what I'm supposed to do, or remind him to upload stuff for me to work on (and then when I comment on projects or ask for more details, half of the time it gets ignored anyway, which means work gets delayed).

 

Grrrrrrraaaaaaahhh!!!

 

Sorry, just needed to vent a bit! I like my job, but it can also be so unnecessarily frustrating at times! I bet my boss is going to keep ignoring my request... or he might just pretend they don't have the money to increase my salary by not paying me on time (again).

[Esequiel]

@EEVILMURRAY That really sucks mate, where abouts in Notts are you looking? I can check with some of my customers and see if they have anything in Admin for you?

[EEVILMURRAY]

@EEVILMURRAY That really sucks mate, where abouts in Notts are you looking? I can check with some of my customers and see if they have anything in Admin for you?

 

Any help would be appreciated dude, mainly somewhere in/near town centre as I'd have to get there using the bus.

 

Most of the replies to all the solicitors I've gotten have been "we don't have any vacancies". One said there was a secretarial one that hadn't been advertised yet and wondered if I wanted to know more. I said yes and didn't hear anything back. I did send a follow up email but no reply to that either, so assuming that's not leading anywhere.

 

• The interview for Rescue Rooms went Ok, finally finished their 'training'
  
• The Nottingham interview I think went well (hate competency interviews) and will find out mid/end of next week.
  
• My agency "signing in" thing tomorrow should be fun. They've asked me to bring in reference details, which is weird since they have my CV. Apparently this is a trick some agencies like to pull.
  
• New position at Mecca seems to have opened up, applied.
  
• Oh, and just got offered an interview at a gay bar next week.
  

[Esequiel]

Any help would be appreciated dude, mainly somewhere in/near town centre as I'd have to get there using the bus.

 

Most of the replies to all the solicitors I've gotten have been "we don't have any vacancies". One said there was a secretarial one that hadn't been advertised yet and wondered if I wanted to know more. I said yes and didn't hear anything back. I did send a follow up email but no reply to that either, so assuming that's not leading anywhere.

 

• The interview for Rescue Rooms went Ok, finally finished their 'training'
  
• The Nottingham interview I think went well (hate competency interviews) and will find out mid/end of next week.
  
• My agency "signing in" thing tomorrow should be fun. They've asked me to bring in reference details, which is weird since they have my CV. Apparently this is a trick some agencies like to pull.
  
• New position at Mecca seems to have opened up, applied.
  
• Oh, and just got offered an interview at a gay bar next week.
  

 

I'll ask around tomorrow mate and see if I can come up with anything.

[Charlie]

Nope on both counts.

 

 

Exactly. But as I said, it paid the bills.

 

 

You would think so after several people asking.

 

I actually took pics of the "contract" they gave us to send to a chap I know who is a law teacher before I gave it back on account of it being horseshit.

 

Here's a taste

 

Check how in depth these contents are.

 

 

They expected us to sign this before they filled in the blanks.

 

 

Get to the Citizens Advice Bureau ASAP. You can take them to the cleaners as they've broken so many rules.

[Goafer]

Had an interview and I've pretty much been offered the job. Just waiting on getting the offer in writing.

 

I'm just not sure I want it. Maybe I'm just wary of moving jobs (I've been in my current job for about 8 years now). Some factoids:

 

-My current job is utter arse. Total joke of a place. Also pays peanuts. But I do know the place well and can work in most departments.

 

-When I took on my most recent role there, I was promised a pay rise after 6 months. Didn't get it, as the company just made some redundancies/restructuring. Understandable, and my job is totally safe (I'm probably the most multiskilled person in the building). What I do object to, however, is that someone who was hired at the same time I took my new role (and does the same job I do) got his pay review/rise after 3 months and now gets paid more than me. Reminder: I've been there 8 years. He's been there 1. I even have the extra skill of designer, as he is totally production.

 

-The director might actually be insane. Like completely unhinged when it comes to business decisions. Luckily, the rest of the team make up for it.

 

-If I stay, there's basically only 2 outcomes: Stay in the production department (which includes some design work) and hate everything, but maybe progress to manager (which I don't want, but do want the money) or go back to the design department and never progress at all, ever.

 

Some factoids for the new place:

 

-Twice the travel (40 mins as opposed to 20). Not a huge deal, but more expense.

 

-Pays more. Possibly enough to cover the extra travel but I'm not sure. Possibility of negotiating higher wage after 3 month trial.

 

-Half hour less per day (9-5 as opposed to 8:30-5).

 

-Smaller overall team, with me working in a team of 3. I'd be the main designer, with 2 artworkers. Haven't met the team, so can't comment on them. One of them has been working there 12 years though, so that's a good sign.

 

-Very small place and not the most comfortable working environment. Can't be worse than my current place though. Plus the boss seems quite nice (don't they all in interviews though?).

 

-They work on Macs, whereas I'm used to PCs. I'm happy to use either, but am very inexperienced with Macs, which has been a hurdle in previous interviews. The fact that they don't seem to care that I'll have to learn to use Macs is a great. Even if I don't end up staying long, it will give me experience working on a Mac.

 

 

 

My only real reservation is that from what I saw, it has the potential to be just as busy and shit as my current place. It can't be that bad though, as my interview was after hours (due to the place being tiny) and everyone did seem to go home on time. I also worry that the wages discussion after 3 months will be non-existent/fruitless and I'll be stuck in a similar situation to what I'm in now.

 

I think I'll need to press the wages matter a bit and see if I can get a figure for after 3 months, even if I have to ask for a list of criteria that I'll need to meet to ensure a raise.

Edited March 17, 2017 by Goafer